Занни: Слуга и трикстер в комедии дель арте

Class of satellite characters from commedia dell'arte
the commedia characters

Zanni (ˈdzanni), Zani or Zane is a character type of commedia dell'arte best known as an astute servant and a trickster. The Zanni comes from the countryside and is known to be a "dispossessed immigrant worker". Through time, the Zanni grew to be a popular figure who was first seen in commedia as early as the 14th century. The English word zany derives from this character. The longer the nose on the characters mask, the more foolish the character.

The name "Zanni" (as well as "Zuan") is a variant of the name Gianni and was common in the Lombard Venetian countryside which provided most of the servants to the wealthy nobles and merchants of Venice. In Italian it is specifically a name of someone whose identity is not of any importance. It is one of the oldest characters in commedia dell'arte, but over the course of time became subdivided into a number of similar characters with more specific traits. These included Arlecchino, Pulcinella, Mezzettino and Truffaldino, as well as Beltrame and Brighella. Arlecchino, for example, was more representative of a jester than an ordinary servant and was frequently depicted as very acrobatic. Zanni was shortened to Zan when used to provide further identification of an individual. For example, Zan Ganassa was the stage name of Alberto Naseli, who was one of the first actors specializing in Zanni roles to perform outside of Italy. Overall, the Zanni in early commedia dell'arte is the name for the 'carter', which is the servant. The name Zanni became a "technical term to define all of the servants".

Some characters in commedia that are derived from Zanni are Arlecchino (Harlequin), Brighella, Scapino, Mescolino and Mezzettino, Scaramuccia (aka Scaramouche), Pulcinella, Pedrolino, Giangurgolo, Tartaglia, Trappolino, and Burratino.

The earliest literary evidence portrays Zanni as a servant of Pantalone. Of all of the commedia archetypes, Zanni's survival instinct is the strongest. Zanni is also always hungry, which leads to a vision of Utopia where "everything is comestible, reminiscent of the followers of gluttony in carnival processions". A Zanni also has an animistic view of the world in that he senses a spirit in everything, so it could be eaten. Zanni is ignorant, loutish, and has no self awareness. The simple act of thinking does not seem to be natural to Zanni. He is a very faithful individual who prefers to live in the present day. Zanni never looks for a place to sleep; it just seems to happen to him often in situations where it shouldn't, like a drunkard. Lastly, all of his reactions are completely emotional. Zanni is born into an immigrant background and is known for performing both "duty and necessity" and also plays an active role in the "game" of breaking up and unifying relationships. Zanni is also known for his ability to scheme and manipulate. The role of Zanni is known as being a "stupid genius"; this contradiction prevents Zanni from approaching daily life in a rational manner. Zanni's stupidity prevents him from performing simple tasks, while his genius gives him the ability to make the impossible possible. A scenario must always have at least two Zanni. The first Zanni is known to be clever and witty, and is known as il furbo The first Zanni can trick and cheat anyone whom they come across. It is a must that they are cynically sharp. The first Zanni is also known to be the go between. The job of the first Zanni is to advance the action and give it some movement, with a slightly cynical twist. Second Zanni, in particular with Arlecchino, does not so much advance plot as maintain a steady stream of comic relief throughout the scenario. Second Zanni are assumed to be from the lower city of Bergamo. He must be acrobatic, able to walk on his hands and on stilts, dance, skip and somersault. In this respect, the Zanni is one of the most physically demanding of all the Masks.

A lazzo is a joke or gag in mime or in words. The following lazzi examples are short comic routines by the character type Zanni. In "Lazzi of the Cat" the Zanni mimics the actions of a cat, demonstrating how the cat hunts for wild birds or how the cat cleans himself by scratching his ears with his feet and cleaning his body with his mouth. Sexual / Scatological Lazzi: in "Lazzi of Burying the Urine", the Zanni is told that burying his urine and the urine produced by his wife will give him a son. Zanni gets a urinal that produces both and before he spills it into the soil, he treats it as a special fluid. Stupidity/ Inappropriate Behavior: in "Lazzi of Counting Money", the Zanni divides Pantalone's money between Pantalone and himself in the following way: "One for Pantalone, two for me (gives one coin to Pantalone and two to himself); two for Pantalone, three for me (gives one coin to Pantalone and three to himself), etc." Another popular lazzi was Zanni walking behind his master mounted on a mule and goading it to go faster by blowing air from a pair of bellows onto the animal's anus.

A Zanni is known to take and briefly keep items that belong to someone else. Some items that the Zanni would keep would be bags, letters, valuables, or food.

Zanni's relationship to the audience is that he is the most sympathetic character and treats the audience collectively so he is able to address the audience directly. Zanni contributes to the plot by being the "principal contributor to any confusion".